The City & the City: Chapter 23 Summary & Analysis

Borlú is in total darkness, but can hear sounds. Then he wakes up, and initially feels as if no time has passed between being tackled by Breach after shooting the man and waking up inside a grey, very plain room. Borlú is sitting on a bed. There is also a window, a desk, and two chairs. He is wearing clean, plain clothes. He is told to “sit.” He turns to face three figures, two men and one woman, all his age or older. Borlú introduces himself with his full name, and in response the people identify themselves only as “Breach.” One of the men speaks to Borlú in Besź with an undetectable, “flat” accent. He says that Borlú committed an extreme, violent breach, killing a man by shooting from Ul Qoma into Besźel.

The man continues that now Borlú is in “the Breach.” He says that man Borlú shot was named Yorjavic, and asks if he remembers him. The man says that they will decide how long Borlú remains in the Breach, and if he will ever return to the outside world at all. Borlú suddenly manages to remember that he saw Yorjavic at the house of the True Citizens; he thinks it was Yorjavic who called Gosz. The man explains that Yorjavic is a former soldier. Suddenly, Borlú frantically asks after Dhatt and Yolanda; the man replies that Dhatt has lost the functionality of his right arm but is otherwise fine, and Yolanda is dead. Borlú tries to point out that he was just trying to stop Yolanda’s killer, but the man replies it doesn’t matter; Yorjavic didn’t breach, and Borlú did.  

Borlú is brought food. After eating, he tries to pry open the door to his room, but cannot. At a certain point, Breach come back and add that Yorjavic did breach after having been shot—“Victims of breach always breach.” This is how they have information about him. They remind Borlú that his fate is up to them, and that he can think of this as his “trial.” They encourage him to explain what exactly he did and why, which will then allow them to make a decision. They ask that he tell them about Yolanda, Mahalia, and Orciny, which they refer to as a “fool’s conspiracy” that has returned after a long time. 

Borlú tells them everything, but they continue to interrogate him. He tries to run at them, but they knock him out. When he comes to, one of the men explains, “You’re beyond law now; this is where decision lives, and we are it.” Borlú says that Yolanda thought that Breach were Orciny, but Breach reply that Orciny doesn’t exist. Breach observe that Borlú is afraid of whatever it is he’s been trying to find. Two of the figures bring in a projector, where they play footage of Bowden being interrogated by the militsya. Bowden insists that Orciny doesn’t exist.

The footage then switches to Aikam, who sits silently crying, then to Dhatt, who angrily protests that he doesn’t know what any of this is about. He claims that “Orciny’s a pile of shit.” Breach turn off the footage and ask Borlú about Orciny. Borlú reflects that the Breach is essentially “nothing,” just a “void full of angry police.” When Breach ask about Orciny, Borlú attempts to bargain with them, indicating that he’ll help them if they give him something in return. They ask again if Borlú thinks Orciny killed Mahalia and Yolanda, and Borlú points out that Yolanda believed that Mahalia had discovered some kind of truth. He suggests that they take a look at Mahalia’s notebooks.